If you are an experienced vSphere admin then this post may not be for you. However, if you are new or just getting started on your journey to virtualization and vSphere with Operations Management (VSOM) then please keep reading…
I was once asked: “Explain how a brand new admin who wanted to install vSphere with Operations Management (VSOM) for the first time would go about doing that?”. While my initial thought was “Ah, that’s easy!”, in trying to answer this question it occurred to me that it’s actually quite involved, especially when you are new. You would need to do some research to understand the components, in the course of this research they would come across many new terms and acronyms and several different installation guides. Bottom line, a lot of time would be spent trying to figure out what the pieces are and how they fit together, and this is all before you install the first component.
This got me thinking about the challenges new IT professionals face and how it can be difficult having to sift through the vast amount of data trying to get answers to even the simple questions.
It’s in this spirit that we have created a new video series entitled “Getting Started – vSphere with Operations Management”. These videos are aimed specifically at helping new IT professionals get started with VSOM. The series starts by introducing you to the principals of virtualization and then guide you through the process of installing and configuring each VSOM component. The aim is to to help you spend less time researching and more time doing. These videos are basic, the goal was simple – to provide a series of introductory videos targeted at people who are new to vSphere in order to help get them through the initial learning curve.
There are currently 28 videos available on VMware TV’s YouTube channel. I’ve also provided a summary of the videos below. Please check them out and let us know what you think. We plan to use the feedback we get from these videos in order to create additional videos that will also target at the new IT professional just getting started.
Let us know what you think.
Enjoy!
Introduction to Virtualization
This video introduces you to the benefits of virtualization and how it can help reduce cost, improve availability and simplify operations for your IT infrastructure. It introduces you to VMware’s high performance, enterprise-class hypervisor architecture and provides information to help you get started with deploying VMware vSphere.
vSphere with Operations Management Environment Walk Through
This video shows how to deploy vSphere with Operations Management (VSOM) in a simple lab environment that mimics the environment used to create the training videos. Watch this video to learn how to create a small lab that you can use to evaluate and train on vSphere with Operations Management.
ESXi Install and Configure
This video shows how to install the VMware ESXi hypervisor on a vSphere host and how to configure the management network using the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI).
ESXi Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) Overview
This video provides an overview of the vSphere Host Direct Console User Interface (DCUI). The DCUI is a menu-based interface that is accessed from the host console and used to configure ESXi running on vSphere hosts.
vSphere Client Install
This video shows how to download the vSphere client and install it on a Windows desktop so you can use it to connect to and manage your vSphere hosts. Note that the vSphere client can be used to manage a single vSphere hosts as well as together with vCenter server in order to provide centralized management of many vSphere hosts.
vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) Install
This video shows how to use the vSphere client to connect to a vSphere host and deploy the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA). The VCSA is a preconfigured Linux-based virtual machine optimized for running vCenter Server and associated services.
vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) Configuration
This video shows how to connect to the vCenter Server Appliance management interface in order to accept the end-user license agreement and configure the database for first time use.
Create vCenter Inventory (datacenter, cluster, hosts)
This video shows how to get started with creating your VMware vCenter Server inventory by using the vSphere Web Client to create a datacenter, create a cluster and to add hosts to the cluster.
Configure vSphere Standard Switch (VSS)
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to configure basic networking for your vSphere hosts using the vSphere Standard Switch (VSS).
Add NFS Datastore
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to add/mount NFS shares to your vSphere host.
Create VM, install Guest OS and Install VMware Tools
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to create a virtual machine, install the Guest Operating System, and install VMware Tools.
Manage Virtual Machine Hardware
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client in order to configure the virtual hardware settings for an existing virtual machine.
Virtual Machine Migration (vMotion)
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to perform live virtual machine migrations (vMotion) between vSphere hosts.
Virtual Machine Cloning and Templates
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to clone virtual machines and to create virtual machine templates.
Virtual Machine Snapshots
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to create and manage virtual machine snapshots.
Enable vSphere Host Lockdown Mode
This video shows how to secure vSphere hosts with Lockdown Mode in order to limit direct access to the host console and require administrators manage hosts through vCenter Server.
Configure vSphere Host Firewall
This video shows how to use the ESXi Firewall on the vSphere host to block incoming and outgoing communication and to manage the services running on the host.
Add vSphere Hosts to Active Directory
This video shows how to join a vSphere host to a Microsoft Active Directory (AD) domain in order to allow admins to use their active directory credentials to access and manage hosts.
Configure Alarms and Notification
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to configure vCenter Server alarms and alerts and how to enable email notification.
Configure Shares and Reservations
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to configure shares, reservations, and limits in order to effectively distribute compute and memory resources among virtual machines.
Configure Resource Pools
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to configure resource pools within a DRS cluster and how to add virtual machines to the resource pools.
Enable vSphere HA and DRS
This video shows how to use the vSphere web client to enable and configure High Availability (HA) and Dynamic Resource Scheduling (DRS). HA protects against machines down time by automating recovery in the event of a host failure. DRS ensures performance by balancing virtual machine workloads across hosts a cluster.
Enable Host Maintenance Mode
This video shows how to use vSphere Maintenance Mode to automate the task of migrate virtual machine workloads off vSphere hosts in preparation for host maintenance.
Enable vSphere Fault Tolerance
This video shows how to protect virtual machines with VMware Fault Tolerance (FT). FT provides continuous virtual machine availability through instantaneous failover in the event of a host failure.
vCenter Operations Manager (VCOPS) Install and Configure
This video shows how to install and configure the vCenter Operations Manager using the vSphere web client to deploy the vCenter Operations Manager virtual appliance.
vCenter Operations Manager (VCOPS) Dashboard Introduction
This video provides an introduction to the vCenter Operations Manager dashboard along with a detailed breakdown of the health, risk and efficiency badges.
vCenter Operations Manager (VCOPS) Advanced Dashboard and Troubleshooting
This video shows how to use the vCenter Operations Manager dashboard to perform basic troubleshooting tasks and how to configure smart alerts and generate reports.
Introduction to vSphere Replication (VR)
This video provides an example of how to replicate and recover a virtual machine using vSphere Replication.

By Andy Troup
In speaking with some of my customers, the message comes resoundingly across “WE WANT TO AUTOMATE.” So this is the sweet spot for cloud solutions as they have in-built automation to provide the defined benefits of cloud computing such as On-demand self service, Resource pooling and Rapid elasticity (as defined by NIST here).
However, upon scratching the surface and digging a little deeper, the other thing I’ve found is that when I’m told “yes we’ve got automation,” it typically means that a lot of effort has gone into developing a whole heap of scripts that have been written to solve a very specific problem. This, I would argue, is not the best way for automation to be achieved.
I was in conversation with a customer a few weeks ago where they wanted to automate a particular part of their provisioning process, and my recommendation to them was “DON’T DO IT.” Why did I say this? Well, the process was broken, inefficient, relied on spreadsheets & scripts and meant there was constant rework to have a satisfactorily provisioned system. Their provisioning process took weeks and weeks. There was no point in automating this broken process – what needed to happen was that the process had to be fixed or changed first. I won’t go into anymore detail about this particular problem, but my point is that sometimes you have to take a step back and see if there are other ways of solving a particular problem.
In summary – there’s no point in automating a broken process.
So, why do we want to automate our IT systems and the provisioning of them anyway? Primarily because we want two things:
To take the boring repeatable activities that many IT administrators undertake and get a system to do it instead. This frees up time for the administrator to do the more interesting and difficult things.
Remove the potential for errors. Anything that is done as a manual activity involving people is liable to be inconsistent and error-prone (I say liable, but really we all know that they will be inconsistent and error-prone). Cloud solutions are all based on the premise that everything is standardized, and thus we need to remove any activity that introduces unreliability.
OK, so we’ve now established that automation is a good thing. All we need to do now is work out HOW we’re going to automate, and this may introduce some difficult decisions.
So what are the automation options? Well, in my mind automation comes in three different flavours which should be used together to solve the automation challenge. Here they are with some definitions I found:
Script - programs written for a special runtime environment that can interpret and automate the execution of tasks which could alternatively be executed one-by-one by a human operator. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_(computing))
Orchestration - describes the automated arrangement, coordination, and management of complex computer systems, middleware, and services. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestration_(computing))
Policy - Policy-based management is an administrative approach that is used to simplify the management of a given endeavor by establishing policies to deal with situations that are likely to occur. (http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/policy-based-management)
In terms of their use, the image below shows how I believe they should be used and in what quantities. As you can see, we should be aiming for as much policy implementation as possible with as little script as we can achieve.
If you have a process you’d like to automate, to find the solution, you should work up the pyramid from the bottom.
So the first question you should ask yourself is “can I create a policy or several policies to solve the problem?” This will have a dependency on the technology available to utilize the policy, but should be the first port of call. It may even be worth considering investing in the technology to make the policy implementation possible. The overhead of creating and maintaining policies are small and they will provide a robust solution to your problem with reliability and consistency.
If it isn’t possible to create a policy to solve the challenge, next consider orchestrating a solution. This will provide a reusable, standardized capability that has an element of management/maintenance overhead and will be reliable.
Finally, if neither policy nor orchestration will work for you, then utilize scripting as a last resort. Why a last resort? Scripting is a tactical, bespoke solution for a specific requirement and will require managing and maintenance during its entire life, which in turn will incur costs and will be less reliable.
So in summary, when you are considering automating a process:
Step back from the automation challenge and consider the options. They may not be what you expected.
Work up the “Love Triangle” from the bottom.
If you can’t implement a policy, consider orchestration and use scripting as a last resort.
Follow @VMwareCloudOps on Twitter for future updates, and join the conversation by using the #CloudOps and #SDDC hashtags on Twitter.

Today I received two requests to plug a survey. The first survey is on the topic of NAS usage and cloud storage and the second one on the topic of multi-tier apps. Please fill them out, as this is your way of defining what the future of VMware (potential) products and features looks like!
The first one takes about 2 minutes to fill out:
NAS / Cloud Storage survey:
This is a survey on alternatives to traditional NAS storage systems! We would like your opinion on NAS usage within your environment and consideration for alternatives to NAS solutions.
http://bit.ly/1aohsoG
And the second one, takes 10 minutes roughly, but with the chance of winning a giftcard:
Multi-tier app Survey:
We would like your input on virtualization of multi-tier applications in our quest for continuous improvement
We have created a survey to capture your feedback: http://tinyurl.com/VMware-multi-tier-application . The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete.
As an incentive, respondents will be entered in a drawing to win one of three $50 Visa gift cards!
The survey will be open until July 9, 2013, so please participate soon!

To celebrate our 10th annual VMworld, each week we'll be looking at a different facet of our event, from the evolution in VMware technology to our place as one of the world's largest IT conferences. For updates on VMworld 2013, please follow @VMworld on Twitter. The Breakout Sessions are at the heart of VMworld.Breakout Sessions have dynamic speakers, provide rich content, and spark constructive discussions. To wring every ounce out of the VMworld experience, attendees pore over the Content Catalog for the more valuable and interesting Breakout Sessions, sketch out alternate plans of attack in the Schedule Builder, and carefully fill their calendars – all the while making sure there’s enough time to travel between rooms, hit the Solutions Exchange, and take a break every now and then for some food and some socializing. Back in 2004, VMworld was positioned to be a user conference with more than 60 sessions. Now going into its 10th year, it has grown to be one of the largest virtualization-specific conferences, offering more than 350 sessions. Although the purpose of VMworld has remained relatively consistent, the development of sessions is far from static. To put its growth into perspective, consider the number of sessions that were offered each year. Starting in 2010 we began to repeat popular sessions more often (so stay alert for openings in your schedule on Wednesday and Thursday!); those repeats aren’t even counted in the table below, which makes the growth of the conference even more impressive. YearUS SessionsEurope Sessions2004> 602005> 1102006> 2902007> 2102008> 300> 1202009> 300> 1402010> 170> 1152011> 175> 2002012> 330> 200 The topics of the sessions have evolved with the industry and the technology.Tracks ranged from virtual infrastructure solutions to managing enterprise desktop to architecting the data center. The wide variety of high-impact Breakout Sessions throughout the past 9 years makes it almost unfair to ask attendees to choose a single favorite. While there is much to share, here are some comments past attendees made about sessions that left a lasting impression: Petri Rantanen: “The best session was End User Computing Summit, there where all those are working also in the EUC side and talk and share ideas with them (also with the VMware).” Todd Lewey: “I will go with the Scott Lowe and Forbes Guthrie session on vSphere design, the content was amazing, the flow of the presentations and discussions was very fluid, and both speakers were very informative. Mostly the take away from this session was the speakers, Scott and Forbes are very energetic and passionate about what they do, seeing techs like this doing what they do, is very infectious and carries over after the entire conference.” Benny Hauk: “Two sessions in 2006 with Mendel Rosenblum. One was one he led, the other was a panel discussion he was on (the panel was incredible A-listers, even the moderator was a tech writer everyone knew). I remembered thinking, 'this shouldn’t be crammed into this tiny room, it should be in the keynote room!'” Daunce: “Best session: Ask the experts. While waiting for the session to start, most of the experts were talking amongst themselves, but Scott Lowe was walking through the crowd asking them how their day had been. Scott Lowe is awesome.” Andrew Mauro: I remember a session in 2009 at VMworld EU, it was about the virtualization of the mobile OS… was funny and strange… because so futuristic. But it's not just about the Breakout Sessions.However, sessions are not the only time to gain new knowledge; year after year attendees have reported incidental educational opportunities while interacting with fellow peers between sessions. This is no surprise, considering growing thousands of VMware customers, partners, engineers, product experts and IT professionals converge in single conference campus in US and in Europe for three to four days. YearUS AttendeesEurope Attendees2004> 1,6002005> 3,5002006> 6,0002007> 10,8002008> 14,000> 4,5002009> 12,500> 4,7002010> 17,000> 6,0002011> 19,000> 6,5002012> 21,000> 7,000 Anticipating over 21,000 attendees for VMworld US 2013 and over 8,000 attendees for VMworld Europe 2013, we expect the Breakout Sessions will be once again one of the highlights of the conference, but networking opportunities will also surface in the Hang Space, at the VMworld Party, at meals, and between Breakouts. We're glad to have you back again in 2013!What was your favorite VMworld Breakout Session?

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VMware vCloud Suite and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
See how VMware vCloud Suite lets you deliver Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with managed self-service provisioning, software-defined networking and the a...
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VMware vCloud Suite and Provisioning as a Service (PaaS) for Applications
Develop and deploy applications faster with the intelligent automation and fine-grained control of VMware vFabric Application Director.
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VMware vCloud Suite and Provisioning as a Service (PaaS) for Applications
Develop and deploy applications faster with the intelligent automation and fine-grained control of VMware vFabric Application Director.
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Hi folks,
We are excited to bring to you a new blog post series – vCenter Operations Management Tech Tips!
In this series, we will showcase solid technical content that is relevant to you, and is in a simple, digestible, bite-sized format. The intent is to provide you with useful information, and do that quickly and succinctly, so you do not have to go through lengthy and tedious technical documentation to find something you need to know and use quickly.
In this series, we will have short, under 5-minute videos for you with Tech Tips for vCenter Operations Management Suite.
The first few videos describe how quickly you can get started using the vCenter Operations Manager custom UI and get more value out of your deployment starting day one.
In today’s video, with Tech Tip #1, we walk you through creating applications in vCenter Operations Manager – Advanced and Enterprise Editions. An application in vCenter Operations Manager is a logical set of like-functionality resources being monitored (VMs, storage, DB, web services, guest OS, etc) grouped by tier (Web, App, DB, etc) that represent a critical business application or business service. This makes it easier for the user to determine how applications are affected when change or performance problems occur across the mission‐critical resources contained within the logical tiers of the application. The benefits include:
Viewing real‐time analysis across all of the tiers and resources that are contained within that application
Application focused dashboards
Visual understanding of performance impacts at the tier and application service level
Improved IT insight by seeing what the Line of Business Owners really care about
Hope you found the above Tech Tip useful! And if this whetted your appetite for something more heavy duty, we do have more vCenter Operations Manager documentation available for you.
In future posts, we will have more videos about the custom UI, as well as videos about building vCenter Operations Manager Custom Dashboards, and some useful tips about bringing in data from other sources through vCenter Operations Manager Adapters. So stay tuned for those upcoming posts.
Please send us your feedback and comments about these videos and this series below, as well as requests for videos on other topics. And yes, follow us on twitter @vcenterops.
Thanks for reading!
Himanshu